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Shinrei
The Shinrei (神霊; Literally meaning "Divine Spirit") is a slightly larger than average katana, belonging to the Sakamoto Clan. History The Shinrei was forged by the founder of the Sakamoto clan, around the time the Sage of the Six Paths was alive. The sword was intended to be the most powerful, sharpest, and strongest sword ever made. Although the exact length of time is uncertain, it is known that the sword took roughly one month to forge, with the process going uninterrupted the whole time. The founder used the Soshu Kitae, or "seven layers method to forge the blade. During the forging, the steel used for the sword (which was sourced from fallen meteorites) was folded 30 times, far more than the standard 16 times. Before each fold, the steel was branded with a special seal, then the Sakamoto clan founder would pour almost all of his chakra into the seal, before folding the steel and repeating the process. This resulted in a blade which possessed such strength that not even the Tailed Beasts could hope to destroy it. Finally, once the sword was completed, the powerful and ancient spirit Masamune sealed himself within the sword, completing the creation of the sword Shinrei. Traditionally, the Shinrei has only ever been wielded by the member of the Sakamoto clan who is deemed the most worthy. The selection was first made by the head of clan, who would select the individuals who he believed were worthy of wielding the sword. Then, each candidate would step forward and be offered the sword. At this point, the spirit Masamune, residing within the sword, would judge the worthiness of the candidate holding sword. If the candidate was deemed unworthy, they would be unable to unsheath the sword, preventing them from ever using it. Following the final massacre of the Sakamoto clan, Masaru Sakamoto, the then heir-apparent, unlocked the hidden vault containing the sword, and was deemed worthy by Masamune. Since then, the Shinrei has been Masaru's signature weapon, with the sword's name becoming synonomous with his own. The most guarded secret about the Shinrei, was that the appearance that everyone knew, was actually its sealed form. The Sakamoto clan founder and Masamune decided that, if the wielder of the sword ever needed more power than the sword by itself could provide, Masamune would offer to seal himself within the wielder, similar to how the Tailed Beasts are sealed inside jinchūriki. When this is complete (the sealing is very quick, taking only 10-20 seconds), the wielder can then unseal the Shinrei and reveal its true form; Shinrei Masamune. Appearance The sword has a very modest appearance; a black-wrapped hilt (tsuka), with a matching black scabbard (saya). The hilt has a pure gold cap over the base, while the sheath has two small lines, one at the bottom and at the top, also pure gold. The sword possesses a simple circular guard (tsuba), made from the same steel as the blade. The blade itself is a shining silver in colour, signifying the purity and uniqueness of the steel. The blade also possesses a pure gold habaki. If the hilt is removed, the very base of blade can be seen. The base of the blade is darker than the rest, showing that it is even stronger than the rest of the blade. The base also bears the inscription "Divine Spirit Masamune" (神の御霊正宗, Kami no mitama Masamune) in gold inlay. The inscription represents the fact that Masamune is sealed inside the blade, a fact revealed to very few outside the Sakamoto clan. The blade itself is 80cm (31.4961in) in length, longer than the average katana, which is around 73cm. When unsealed, the appearance of the Shinrei Masamune is essentially the same, only the scabbard disappears, and the blade extends from 80cm out to a final length of eight feet (243.84cm, or 96in). Gallery Category:Tools Category:Swords Category:Tools Category:Swords